We support our Publishers and Content Creators. You can view this story on their website by CLICKING HERE.

In the final 2024 House race, a Democratic former state lawmaker defeated the Republican incumbent on Tuesday to flip a seat in California’s Central Valley.

Democrat Adam Gray defeated U.S. Representative John Duarte, a Republican, after nearly a month of counting ballots. Republicans will retain narrow control over the House when the next Congress convenes. Republicans will have 220 seats versus 215 for the Democrats.

Duane Dichiara, a spokeswoman for the campaign, said that Duarte gave up just before The A.P. called it, when he was down by 187 votes in a race with more than 210,000 votes.

Gray had already said he won earlier on Tuesday, two days before California counties had to certify their results.

“The final results confirm this district is ready for independent and accountable leadership that always puts the Valley’s people ahead of partisan politics,” Gray said in a statement on X.

In the 13th Congressional District, Gray’s win was the opposite of what happened in 2022. Gray used to be a member of the California State Assembly. The difference between Duarte’s win and every other House race in 2016 was the second-smallest.

It had been almost a month since Election Day when the race was called. California gives county offices weeks to finish counting the votes and get in touch with voters whose papers might not have the right signature.

House Speaker Mike Johnson provided a big update after he met with President-elect Donald Trump last week.

During an interview on Fox News with host Sean Hannity, Johnson spoke about Trump joining Republicans on Capitol Hill to celebrate the party winning back the White House and U.S. Senate as well as keeping control of the House.

Johnson did not mince his words and vowed that Republicans would get Trump’s agenda passed a a breakneck speed.

“We’re going to be very aggressive; we’re going to move the America First Agenda for the American people beginning on day one,” Johnson said.

On Wednesday, House Republicans backed Johnson as their leader in the upcoming Congress. This came after Trump gave the Louisiana politician his full support at a meeting on Capitol Hill. During a closed-door meeting at the Hyatt Regency, just a few steps from the Capitol, Johnson, the 56th House speaker, received a voice vote for re-election. There were no complaints, the New York Post reported.

Trump had also told lawmakers during his visit to Capitol Hill that he was with Johnson “all the way.” Trump told Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., to “stick together” in the next congressional term, two sources said.

Sources said Trump also promised to “carry out the largest deportation operation in history,” sources said, which earned cheers from House Republicans.

Trump also joked about running a fourth time — which he was not serious about.

“I suspect I won’t be running again unless you do something else unless you say he’s so good we’ve got to figure something out,” he joked to a gathering of House Republicans.

“It’s nice to win. It’s always nice to win. A lot of good friends in this room. So, you know, we had, like, historic kind of numbers, especially for the president,” Trump said. “But the House did very well, and I think we’re responsible for helping you.”

Trump went on: “We won, which is great because Republicans aren’t supposed to be winning the majority.”

“We won it every way — all seven swing states by a lot … New Jersey is right, just a few points. It’s got them very worried because they said, well, next time if we go up even a fraction of what we went up, you’re going to win New York, you’re going to win New Jersey, you’re going to win places that weren’t winnable. California, too,” he said.

Trump made headlines earlier this week when he outlined his plans to “dismantle” the so-called “deep state” and take back American democracy from Washington’s “corruption.”

In a video message, Trump’s ten-point plan tries to change how the federal government works, focusing on changing long-standing bureaucratic structures and practices in the national security and intelligence areas. His plan includes executive orders, reforms, and a push for structural changes within government agencies. It focuses on openness and responsibility.

He says that Trump’s first step is to instantly reissue his 2020 Executive Order, which was meant to give the president the power to fire government workers he sees as “rogue bureaucrats.”

In his speech, Trump was clear about what he wanted to do: “Here is my plan to destroy the deep state and take back our democracy from corrupt Washington once and for all—and corrupt it is.” First, I will instantly reissue my 2020 Executive Order that gives the President the power to fire bad bureaucrats, and I will use that power very strongly.

Trump wants to set up a “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” to find and report any hidden wrongdoing by government organizations. Trump says that this committee will work to get documents that show what he calls “deep-state buying, censorship, and corruption” out of secret and into the public eye. “We will set up a truth and reconciliation commission to declassify and publish all documents on the buying, censorship, and corruption by the deep state,” he said. He says that this move would make these powerful organizations more open by letting the public see how they work on the inside.

Trump also wants to “major crackdown” on government leaks, going after people who give information to the media. He says that these leakers are working with “fake news” to spread lies and make the government less stable. During his speech, Trump said, “We will crack down hard on government leakers who work with fake news to spread lies and undermine our government and democracy.” He also made it sound like people who did these things might be charged with a crime.

The post California Democrat Flips Seat In Last House Race To Be Called appeared first on Conservative Brief.